Communicating A Collection Of C Constructions Concerning Climate Change & Controls To Consider

I keep talking about Climate Change, hoping that citizens of culture will do what needs to be done, cultivating consciousness in Agriculture – our common concern. Civilization must change Climate Change!

Iriga Kiderra shares “How To Talk About Climate Change So People Will Act” (10 May 2016, University of California, universityofcalifornia.edu; both images from this webpage):

What can you do about climate change? The better question might be: What can we do? … Researchers show in a new study that framing the issue collectively is significantly more effective than emphasis on personal responsibility. … that people are willing to donate up to 50 percent more cash to the cause when thinking… in collective terms.

My citizen contribution is continuing communication, so here is my collection of climate change concerns & causes:

Chemical Cultivation –  Otherwise known as “Chemical Agriculture,” the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to grow crops for animals & people. Such applications generate greenhouse gases that generate Climate Change.

Climate Change – The 21_­^st Century phenomenon of Global Warming, which gives birth to supertyphoons that bring about devastating rains & floods, rising sea levels and sinking of lands. We humans came to be warned about the catastrophic consequences of Climate Change when American Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change co-won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Collaboration – Whatever countries do and citizens come up with, it better be through collaboration. Climate Change is a common concern, and its control must be collaborated upon and coordinated.

Communication for Community Development – I am an inveterate blogger, and the latest name I use to describe my journalism is “Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century (CoViD21).” Why CoViD21? “It takes a Village to combat Climate Change!”

Composting – collecting organic wastes (i.e., manure and food) to decompose and turn into natural fertilizer.

Consultations – As Climate Change is all over, so must citizen actions be in consultation with other citizens, or at least every collective awakened to the certainty.

Controlled Tillage – Also “Minimum Tillage.” Others recommend “No-Till Farming,” meaning zero disturbance of the soil except to insert the seeds or seedlings. Zero or minimum cultivation retains everything the soil has, including richness and moisture, which crops need abundantly.

Conventional Cultivation – Otherwise called “Chemical Cultivation,” which see.

Corrective Cultivation – Technically called “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA), term coined by Robert Rodale of Rodale Institute. RA calls for common concerns in cultivation that help Nature recuperates.

Cover Cropping – cultivating crop/s on fields normally bare after a cash crop is harvested (nrdc.org). This keeps soils covered and reduces erosion, increases water retention, and improves soil health.

Cover, Permanent – Crop or any other vegetation continuously grown to prevent soil erosion.

Crop mixing – Otherwise called “agroforestry” – where farmers and gardeners mimic the conditions of a mini forest by growing trees and shrubs along with crops & livestock.

Crop rotation – Cultivating a leguminous crop after a favored crop to enrich the soil naturally.

Finally, I must not forget to thank The Creator for continuously caring for me as a communicator for village development!@517

THINKing... Love For Truth Vs Love For Learning – Unthinking Humans Love Truth As Is Brought To Them By Other Unthinking Humans!

From The New Yorker comes this piece by American Andy Borowitz that begins thus: “Minneapolis (The Borowitz Report) – Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.” I say it’s a joke – and then again, it is not a joke!

On Facebook, our Filipino friend, newly retired government official Ramon Yedra shares the above image that says: “Scientists: Earth Endangered By New Strain Of Fact-Resistant Humans.”

Ah. But I view it differently. “Fact-resistant humans”? This is in fact a challenge to all humans, whether fact-resistant or not!

First of all, “fact-resistant humans” is a challenge to the world of journalism, my self-chosen metaverse, digital and not, for which I am self-taught – after all, I am a BS Agriculture Ag Edu major, UP Los Baños. How now should the likes of Nobel Peace Prize winner Filipina Maria Ressa with her Fact Journalism, otherwise called Truth Journalism, respond?

Truth Journalism, I know that as practiced, cannot pass the
“Rotary 4-Way Test:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL, and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

An original aboriginal (Ilocano), my private/public practice is what I call “THiNK! Journalism” and it goes like this:

True? If True, is it
Helpful? If Helpful, is it
Inspiring? If Inspiring, is it
Necessary? If Necessary, is it
Kind?
THiNK! (I based it on Zig Ziglar’sTHINK philosophy.)

So! “Truth-resistant humans” or “Fact-resistant humans” are my kind of humans! They demand that your Fact or Truth passes with flying colors all the way through the process of THiNKing so that they will admit, admire and apply it.

Look up again. The bottom image is from a Facebooksharing by Airen Agnes on 24 Aug 2022; so as not to distract from the message of the outstretched hands, I cut out the accompanying text that says: “Students don’t need a perfect teacher. They need a happy teacher, who’s gonna make them excited to come to school and grow a love for learning.” Ms Airen does not state her source; googling, I found it is Richard Feynman in Wisdom Quotes (wisdomquotes.com).

“Love for learning.” We all should cultivate that love by teaching ourselves and/or others THINKing. That is how to educate the young people, and how to teach the old people who think they know better!

Truth = Fact. Truth Journalism is Fact Journalism; therefore, if the journalism stops at “True” or “Fact” – then I would commend (and recommend) the humans who are resistant to Facts!

No Sir, no Ma'am! The world does not need perfect journalists. The world needs happy journalists, those who make their readers and viewers excited to open their digital tools and grow their love more for thinking more.

I journalist think thus: “Earth Empowered By New Strain Of THINK-Insistent Humans.” That would be the day that the Lord has made!@517

Vi.Deo – Vibrant Verisimillitudes, Visuals & Virtuals On God – Videos For God

Vi.Deo – No, not Virtual God but Vibrant God, if not Visible God. God does not need any glorification from us mortals; He is glorious by Himself – but He needs to be portrayed as to be vibrant, if not visible to us, Roman Catholics, at least every Sunday at mass, via the gospel!

I, blogger of 22 years, realize only today, Sunday, 04 Sept 2022, we Roman Catholics have ignored the powerof the virtual presentation (Vi.P) to expound and explain the gospel. Vi.P – the New World explaining the Old World. Expecially because the Bible is extra difficult to understand. Vi.P also signifies virtual pencils for portraits.
(“Pencils” image from Jen H, The Daily Post, wordpress.com)

The top image is from The Feast Facebook webpage, the guest priest at the PICC presenting the gospel, Luke 14:25-33:

Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them. “Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, cannot be my disciple. No one who does not carry his cross and come after me can be my disciple.

“And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, anyone who saw it would start making fun of him and saying, "Here is someone who started to build and was unable to finish."

Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who was advancing against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.

So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up all that he owns.

Jesus Christ! That is an extremely difficult gospel to explain! (Also, the gospels are boring to death just being read.) Nothing beats a dramatization, via a modern-day Vi.P. Then we could all learn from those virtual classes, wherever, whenever, why not!

“Why is it so hard to understand the Bible?” asks Got Questions, and gives the reason that we “read our preconceived biases into the Bible” (gotquestions.org). We do, but really, the language of the Bible is of bygone eras and the best translations still need translating to modern lives.

Yes, I see that we Roman Catholics living in the modern world, how come we have not thought of harnessing the awesome powers of the digital world in the service of the Church and the laity in presenting – and therefore understanding – the gospel?!

More pertinently, I ask: Why is it that we Catholics have ignored the immense power of the digital universe in proselytizing our own? What I’m saying is that we techno-savvy people are still techno-backwards in applying what we know!@517

“Writer’s Block” – The Enemy Within!

I have 2 friends, “The Left” and “The Right” (Male and Female), and our friendships go back deep into the early 1960s. “The Left” has always been a writer; “The Right” has always been a non-writer – and right now are both wanting and struggling to write their last book and testament (autobiography) – both are suffering from Writer’s Block! The Writer’s Block of “The Left” tells you that experience is not a guarantee for success; that of “The Right” tells you everyone needs help!

(image sources: male from storymind.com, female from writersblog.co)

Both the Storymindand Writer’s Blog advise that you first find “inspiration” – the problem with that is, “What do you do if you can’t find inspiration?!” Storymind says, “One way to beat Writer’s Block” – and proceeds to list 5 tips!

So, here’s some free anti-Writer’s Block advices from me:

Go digital.

The writers shown in the images above are primitive, sorry to say – they belong to the age I will call “Early Digital” – fingers. Today, “digital” refers to the laptop. As a writer, which digital are you? Now, listen to me who in this blog alone – “CoViD21” – has already published 1001 essays!

Everything must be digital, no exceptions.

Don’t give the would-be title of your book as the filename of the one you’re working on – a different chapter deserves a different filename. This will help your mind re/arrange the chapters’ contents as you go along.

Writing on paper: Certainly, for stray thoughts only – not writing whole chapters.

Writing digital (I use MS Word): Always write digital, for speed and safety. Save often – Ctrl+S. If you make a major revision of a would-be chapter, change the filename (“Alt+F, Save As”) – chances are you will want to go back to the text you would have deleted!

Save all those different digital drafts under different titles, so you can review or use them for checking much later.

List Down The People.

Remember, any recollection is/may be important – until you say “Finis” to your book, it’s not finished. Make a list of significant others in your life so far, and type, tentatively, whatever you recollect about each of them. Separate people, separate files, yes – these are not chapters but reminders for you.

Enumerate Significant Events.

No matter at what stage you are in your book, and no matter what chapter you are working on right now, create a separate digital file and list down the significant or important events and occasions in your life so far. Not complete sentences or paragraphs, just reminders to write thoroughly later.

Write & Inspire Yourself!

Always think pleasant thoughts, including godly thoughts.

Remember, everything is tentative. Each chapter you are working is different from the other chapters. Don’t worry about some mix-up of data or information; you can rewrite later – easy if you’re digital!

Review.

After your draft, good or bad, you want the best book you can write – send me your complete book draft and whoever you are, I will advise you, absolutely free, on how to improve it! (Message me on Facebook.)@517

“In This Age Of The Internet & Climate Change, What Can IRRI Learn About Global Agriculture? Asking For A Friend!” – Frank A Hilario

I personally know IRRI has the “Riceworld Museum & Learning Center” because my son Paul Benjamin was once its Curator; years earlier, I had graduated from the University of the Philippines Los Baños in whose campus IRRI is located.

I was UPLB Freshman when IRRI was Rice Freshman in 1960 when it was established. I have been in and out of the campus since then, and as a writer & editor, today I want to know about IRRI’s scientific contributions to the rice world in the field of climate change.

Today, IRRI tells me in its website (IRRI, irri.org):

Climate Change & Sustainability

Rice production is both a victim and a contributor to climate change…

At IRRI we develop and adapt climate-responsive solutions, working with extension agents, national research institutions, and governments across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, to promote sustainable rice-based food systems.

First, we help rice farmers adjust to climate change. By leveraging the genetic diversity of the Rice Genebank, the world’s largest repository of rice varieties, we breed rice varieties that can survive unforeseen climate shocks and thrive in marginal environments. We also boost the mitigation of future climate crises by developing new cultivation practices and technologies that minimize greenhouse gas emissions, enhance input-use efficiency, and predict and respond to future climate threats. Finally, we work with governments to provide an evidence base so they can make informed decisions and set policies to meet their development agenda and their SDG contributions. (End of IRRI info sharing in this regard)

IRRI works institutionally “to promote sustainable rice-based food systems” – and thus, it works to breed rice varieties that can “survive unforeseen climate shocks and thrive in marginal environments.”

Good!

“[IRRI also boosts] the mitigation of future climate crises by developing new cultivation practices and technologies that minimize greenhouse gas emissions, enhance input-use efficiency, and predict and respond to future climate threats.”

Also Good!

But Not Good: IRRI mentions its research works on generating “cultivation practices and technologies that minimize greenhouse gas emissions” – but it omits mention of how many/much greenhouse gases (GHGs) are generated by rice chemical agriculture. Why? IRRI cannot mention what it does not work on, is why. And why not? Good question!

IRRI is 62 years old and should have realized at least in 2007 when Al Gore began pounding on our heads the threat of global warming brought about by climate change brought about by, among others, chemical agriculture.

IRRI’s work is “to promote sustainable rice-based food systems” – I say that that is quite inadequate! It should be “to promote regenerative rice-based food systems,” such as via organic farming. However, IRRI hardly talks about organic agriculture, and I found one reason why: “Study: Modern Rice Varieties May Not Be Suited For Organic Agriculture” (Rice Today, ricetoday.irri.org/).

If IRRI wants to be relevant in these climate-change times, it must breed rices suited to put a stop to GHGs from chemically enriched ricefields. Otherwise, IRRI’s research is all gas!@517

The Great Lesson In Teaching From Non-Teacher American Cultural Anthropologist Margaret Mead – “Teach How To Think, Not What To Think.”

I saw the Facebook sharing 07 Aug 2022 titled “The State Of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update” with the subtitle/comment, which is itself a judgment on Philippine education: “Bakit kulelat ang Pilipinas? English kasi ang medium of instruction.” (Why is the Philippines dead last? Because English is the medium of instruction.”)

The source of the document is The World Bank (worldbank.org). I now investigate it as a bonafide teacher – an alumnus of UP Los Baños with a BS Agriculture course major in Ag Edu (Civil Service Professional 1964. 80.6%). So?

After examining “The State Of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update” – this Filipino teacher says: “All in all, the document is inconsistent and insufficiently debated upon! The World Bank has much to learn!”

The document as quoted says:

Prioritize teaching the fundamentals. Given the staggering loss in institutional time, learning recovery efforts should focus on essential content and prioritize the most fundamental skills and knowledge, particularly literacy and numeracy, that students need for learning within and across subjects and for more advanced learning in the future.

“Staggering loss in institutional time” refers to the 2 years of pandemic controls. It recommends to “prioritize the most fundamental skills and knowledge, particularly literacy and numeracy, that students need for learning.”

“Literacy” – and the comment that somebody quotes is to teach in Pilipino/Tagalog and not in English. But in fact, as a teacher I know that literacy is not “the most fundamental skills” to learn – I now point back to you what the above image shares:

“Children must be taught howto think, not what to think” – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist.
(“Children must be taught” image from deviantart.com)

Who is Margaret Mead? From History.com(history.com/topics/womens-history/margaret-mead):

Mead discovered her calling as an undergraduate at Barnard College in the early 1920s in classes with Franz Boas, the patriarch of American anthropology, and in discussions with his assistant, Ruth Benedict. The study of primitive cultures, she learned, offered a unique laboratory for exploring a central question in American life: How much of human behavior is universal, therefore presumably natural and unalterable, and how much is socially induced?

“Universal human behavior”? It must be the thinking.
“Socially induced human behavior”? It must be what one learns.
So, teach the universal: Teach thinking!

For instance, instead of teaching “2 + 2 equals 4” only, teach:

2 + 2 = 4
3 + 1 = 4
4 – 0 = 4
5 – 1 = 4
6 – 2 = 4

What is the lesson there? There are many ways to skin a cat!

There are 2 ways I know of thinking: creative and critical. What I have just shown you is critical thinking – not yet creative thinking.

Now then, if you want examples and examples of creative thinking, note that in this latest blog of mine – Towards A New Eden  – I already have almost 1,000 essays.

I always write creatively. And yes, if you teach creative thinking, your students will enjoy every minute of it – and so will you!@517

PH Agriculture – “A Science With A Farmer’s Face Riding High With Family” Hopefully Under President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr

A for Agriculture. “One of the main drivers of our push for growth and employment,” President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr said in his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Monday, 25 July 2022, “will be in the agricultural sector.” As an agriculturist, my personal vision is: “A science with a farmer’s face riding high with family.”
(my photo taken 2017, edited)

In his SoNA, BBM spoke of assisting farmers financially and technically. The Department of Agriculture (DA) will extend loans, buy farm inputs in bulk – including fertilizers, seeds, feeds, fuel; and will provide financial assistance as desirable. He said in so many words: “We will strengthen the value chain that begins with the farmer and ends with the consumers.”

BBM equated climate change with agriculture, saying:

The production of farm inputs or needs of farmers to develop their farms will be planned as according to simultaneously addressing the challenge of climate change and global warming. (from BBM’s Tagalog to my English)

2 simultaneous DA challenges: farmer poverty and climate change. For my vision, I borrow from the 2000-2014 powerful slogan “Science with a human face” with which Director General William Dar brought the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) from dead last (kulelat) to #1 among 15 international science centers, including IRRI. ICRISAT showed the world what “A science” could do.

That explains the image above and my 10-word vision: “A science” has double meaning: “A” for “Agriculture” and “A” for “Superior” or “Outstanding” science. A farmer should be as prosperous as to be able to afford a motorcycle for his family or a tricycle for hire.

The A science of Agriculture that I am convinced the Philippines needs is called “Regenerative Agriculture,” as it is a method of farming that “improves the resources it uses, rather than (destroys or depletes) them, according to the Rodale Institute” (quoted by Climate Reality Project (CRP), climaterealityproject.org/, edited by me).

As an agriculturist, I look at Regenerative Agriculture as A Major Savior of the Planet. According to the CRP above:

The agriculture sector is one of the biggest emitters of CO², the greenhouse gas (GHG) most responsible for the changes we are seeing in our climate today. Together with forestry and other land [uses], agriculture is responsible for just under 25 percent of all human-created GHG emissions.

Agriculture Guilty!

From reading, I know that the agriculture GHGs come from chemical fertilizers: carbon dioxide (CO²), methane, and nitrous oxide. That is why I espouse Regenerative Agriculture which, among other things, employs organic fertilizers:

Zero GHGs!

Organic fertilizers come from nature, most especially from crops harvested from and animal wastes in the farm.

If you apply Regenerative Agriculture, you can expect “A science with a farmer’s face” to produce prosperous farmers.

BBM’s Government will not run out of funds for agriculture promoting solely Regenerative Agriculture – because materials to make organic fertilizers are not imported because the once-living matters are available everywhere. From the dead comes life – how about that!@517